Might be moving to LA!!

[jammy 0]

Hey, I live in the UK at the moment but might be moving to LA!!!!

It is because my dad has got a new job with Cathy Pacific

Plz can you tell me all about LA bearing in mind I love cities and the US

Thank You

Jammy

[coolotter88 2]

I think it was pretty disgusting when I went there last summer. the weather was nice though...however, every day, in the morning, it's overcast (from pollution?) but it clears up in the afternoon.

[Pixelrage 34]

lots of gangs. That's all that really comes to mind :/

[MsD 0]

It smells. From the pollution. Some parts are cool others are not. It just depends on what part of LA you live in. The traffic can be a pain yet it is better then New York. The people, for the most part are friendly. It would help if you spoke Spanish.

[A Nonny Moose 8,262]

Last time I was at LAX, there was a bomb threat against my flight.   Bloody nuisance.

LA is a people heap, much like London, but with a better climate.  You would be better living in an exurb if possible, but stay away from the canyon areas where you can lose your house to either a brush fire or a flash flood.

LA sits on the San Andreas fault, so when the big one hits, it is likely to be subducted into the Pacific Ocean.

[jammy 0]

Thank you but so far it doesn't sound that good Gangs, Crime, Pollution hmmmm any good points? We would live in the west of the city so the pollution wouldn't affect us as much

[opbravo 0]

i personally have never lived in los angeles. i'm from san diego, so it's close by. but i have friends who live (and have lived) there and have visited them many times. the thing about LA county is that it's really spread out. and, like many other major cities, it does have its good areas and bad areas. that's just how it goes. here are my thoughts:

positives:

- weather is typical of southern california... cooler along the coast and warmer as you move inland

- sports teams... you have the LA lakers and clippers (NBA), LA dodgers (baseball), LA kings (hockey), and more that i'm sure i've forgotten. plus the college teams are really good (UCLA and USC)

- tourist stuff... disneyland, universal studios, magic mountain, the chance to see movie stars (depending on where you go)

- close to san diego and mexico

negatives:

- traffic... i've driven through LA at all times of the day and it seems that there's always traffic on the highways

- there's not much of a public transportation system available... so you'll be very dependent on your car

- crime... just comes with any large metro area, you just gotta know which places are safer and which are not (just stay out of compton for sure)

- pollution... i didn't think it was that bad whenever i visited friends, but then again i don't live there so i don't know how it is on a day to day basis

LA is pretty spread out so it's gonna feel more suburban than urban. i just despise the traffic!

what city might you be moving to?

[coolotter88 2]

noo way, traffic in LA is much worse than traffic here on the east coast. There may be congested streets in the city of New York but outside, like the highways surrounding it, there is rarely any traffic other than rush hour. LA has perpetual traffic on the highways.

[vilbe 6]

theres always something to do, see, or wonder in LA. but becareful, breathing the air is like smoking a pack a day. there's nearby polluted beaches, as well as things like the disneyland/legoland and such...

however the club/music scene is thriving and you could run into an intoxicated lindsey lohan!

[Pixelrage 34]

Originally posted by: coolotter88 noo way, traffic in LA is much worse than traffic here on the east coast. There may be congested streets in the city of New York but outside, like the highways surrounding it, there is rarely any traffic other than rush hour. LA has perpetual traffic on the highways.quote>

that's really no different than here

[Barbarossa 51]

.

  Edited September 7, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[SpecialEddie 3]

LA's a great city. Everyone's just jealous.  

[coolotter88 2]

at least, when I'm on the highway, route 78 and the garden state parkway are mostly traffic jam-less.

[jammy 0]

Hi thanks for the replies!!

Opbravo - I am not sure as of yet what city I'm moving to, probably somwhere in the west by the ocean although I understand they are rrrreeeeellllliii expensive!!#

Special Eddie- Yh exactly, there all just jeleous!!! lol

Barbarosa- Thank You and you gotta remember I went to a rough state school with 2,000+ students, I am ready for any culture shock!! lol

Vilbe- I'm sure it isn't that bad I mean come totally on!! lloll

And I suppose even the most civilized cities in the world e.g. Singapore, London, New York have major and minor problems, all my friends are like omg hollywood though but that is only a tiny section of LA, isn't it??

Thanks gen

[jacqulina 162]

good luck with the move if you do

[jammy 0]

thank you so much Jacqulina, I hope I do coz it would be soo cool!!!

[SpecialEddie 3]

What part of LA might you be moving to? It's a pretty big place. Hollywood is the typical LA stereotype, Watts isn't safe after dark, downtown LA has bad traffic, and there are a lot of synagogues in Sherman Oaks.

[Bianco 0]

You are soo lucky to be moving to LA I live in Britain went to LA this summer and it is amazing nowhere else is like it! just get used to valet parking!

[toxicpiano 125]

the people are all made of plastic

[hamsterTK 93]

Is that really true though?

I dunno, I know someone who moved there to go to UCLA and they say it really is not the way some percieve it.

Anyways, what this person said is that it is definetely america's second largest city, it's interesting, diverse, situated in a cool part of the country, can feel like the center of the universe, everything goes, etc. He never said much about the other issues only that traffic does suck and you see gangs but they don't normally bother you unless its late or something.

For me, I visited LA as a kid, but only really can remember the touristy things my family did and as such I don't know much about the place. I wish I could visit it again.

[Nerd_Guy 4]

My cousin Tony is out in LA a lot since he works for Disney, and he doesn't really like it. I've never been, so I can't offer much of an oppinion. But hey, you might run into some celebreties! Or you could even see a high speed police chase lol.  Just watch out for Compton and other bad neighborhoods, most people there are armed lol.  

The only good piece of advice I can give though is if you do move, learn Spanish.

[rubberduck 3]

LA is an okay place sometimes...I've been there probably 10 times (I live in Northern California) and I always enjoy it when I go there. If you're moving to the West Side of Downtown, you get into the really nice neighborhoods of Westwood, Century City, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica. Then again, you also will be near the not so nice areas of Pico Union and Hollywood (only a tiny part of it is nice). Also, for someone as far away as you, "LA" could mean anywhere in Southern California, right? I know that's what it means when we say it here...Also, the pollution is bad, but you get that with a lot of major cities. Traffic is not really any worse than the SF Bay Area, I think. So pretty much it depends on where you will be living. You can be driving through a neighborhood with million dollar homes, cross an intersection and see hundreds of homeless...If your dad is working for Cathay Pacific, I assume he'll need to be near LAX...(crummy airport, btw). All in all, I believe that LA is what you make it. Have a positive attitude and you'll probably enjoy it.

[Callbat 8]

Hmmm.....I can't say I go to Los Angeles too often (probably once every one or two months)

I personally would not want to live there! Every time I go I'm late coming home because of the horrible traffic and the city is really poorly maintained in my opinion :\

And I too, moved from Britain to the Southwestern U.S., I live in San Diego